Goal:
As a class, we want to update and expose the Chapter 70 Formula to the community around us. Our mission is to find leading community members to help us learn about school funding and how funding works.
Root Cause:
The Chapter 70 Formula is outdated.
What We're Doing:
Looking into sponsors/outreach
Finding out how money is being spent
Who can help with our goal and then contact them
Find out what has been happening at budget meetings
Further research/ H.457 Bill/ What can we not do
Why:
We want to help schools lacking in funds, improve their funding by federal aid and help cities all over the state with a modernized Chapter 70 Formula.
What is the Chapter 70 Formula?: The Commonwealth 's primary program for distributing its portion of K-12 public education funding to the state 's 328 local and regional school districts.
The basic idea of Chapter 70 and its successors is simple:
Define a budget for education in each community — the “Foundation Budget”.
Compute how much each community can afford to pay — the “Required Local Contribution.”
Provide aid equal to the difference.
STEPS TAKEN TO ACHIEVE OUR GOAL:
Writing letter to house of Representatives to explain about Chapter 70.
Researched budget, and H.457 Bill.
Located an article with Mass Teachers Association opinion of the H.457 Bill and how it is an improvement over Chapter 70
Found Sponsors and advertising (currently being worked on)
Emailed, Dr. David DeRousi, Mayor of Malden. The Mayor kindly accepted our invitation to come and speak to us about the Chapter 70 Formula.
Working on obtaining support from the public to raise awareness for the H.457 Bill.
There are a few ways we could go about getting sponsors. One is the direct approach which would mean talking directly to the people in charge. Another way would be by emailing them:
"Sample Letter"
Use letterhead of school, program, or organization making the solicitation.)
(Name of contact person) (Name of business or corporation) (Street address) (City, state, zip)
Dear (Name of representative of business or corporation): As you probably know, schools throughout Oregon are struggling. Budget cuts have forced the end of important programs and, in some districts, even the loss of school days. Public schools cannot provide many of the things that helped us the most when we were children.
Our school has lost its ability to fund Oregon Career Information System (CIS), our state’s career information delivery system. CIS provides occupational and educational information to students who are making career decisions and education plans. CIS staff analyzes technical labor market data and educational statistics available from many sources and develops it into a computerized system of understandable, current, and localized career information.
Through CIS, students are able to explore and research occupations, industries, educational programs, Oregon and U.S. schools, and financial aid. They can learn about self-employment, military employment, the job search process, and apprenticeships. They can create and update their personal education plans and their education and work histories. The information and processes in CIS are of vital importance to the teens in our school. By helping prepare and train our students for their futures, we are supporting our community’s economic development.
Our school needs (needed $ amount) so we can continue to provide CIS information and services to our students. If you can help us, you will be recognized in several ways. (Edit these sentences for your specific recognition plans.) We will announce the gift with a press release. We will send a description of your gift to all of the _ families with children at (name of school). We will highlight your gift at our annual and very popular awards ceremony, and we could place (name of business)’s logo with a description of your generous gift in our annual student yearbook.
By sponsoring CIS in our school, (corporation or business name) will receive commendation and recognition for the service you provided. A recent study showed that approximately 67% of those surveyed agree that if price and quality are equal, they are likely to switch to a brand or retailer associated with a good cause. Eighty-three percent have a more positive image of a company that supports a cause they care about. There is little doubt that people in our community care about children and schools! Your sponsorship will help our students and our community by informing and inspiring students to acquire the skills that they will need for a competitive job market. It will also help (corporation or business name) by supporting our students as they strive to become your employees and business associates of the future.
Thank you in advance for your support, (Signature, name, and title of administrator)
"Dear local business, Hello, as High School students from Malden, we are working on a project called Generation Citizen, where we discuss issues regarding the city and community. Our goal as a class is to update and expose the Chapter 70 Formula which was designed to help every school district meet their foundation budget. In recent years, Foundation budgets are not meeting the needs of the schools as a result of the outdated Chapter 70 Formula. Jason Lewis, a current sponsor of the H.457 Bill is looking into how the foundation budget are being calculated and how they can be improved. As a group, we are responsible for finding possible sponsors for our project. We hope to find many sponsors ready to support us and help us achieve our goal. This is for the better of all Malden and all public schools, to ensure that every student can get what they need in order to keep moving forward and succeed as well as have many more opportunities in the future. Any contributions you make will be deeply appreciated."
Possible Sponsors:
All Season’s Table- (781)397-8788
Big A- (781) 321-9365
Fuloon Restaurant- (781) 388-3338
Tiki Island- (617) 982-2535 In Medford
Sun Kong - (781) 388-9900
Pisa Pizza- (781)397-7777
BJ’s- (781)396-0451
New York Pizza- (617) 266-7020
2 Paisan’s- (781) 322-5545
Dunkin Donuts (DD)- (781) 324-0186
Krav Maga- (781) 322-4600
CVS- (781) 322-5890
Walgreens- (781) 321-1765
Dockside- (781) 321-3000
Stop & Shop- (781) 397-0050
Papa Gino's- (781) 397-6738
Domino’s- (781) 322-0030
Sun Guang- (781) 388-9837
Honey Dew- (781) 397-8200
Ryan’s Family Amusement- (781) 324-7828
What To Do With Possible Sponsorship Money:
Resources (textbooks, online resources, utensils)
Hire"Teachers that love what they teach and want to help their students capture the same rush of discovery upon new ideas"
Operation and maintenance of the school (teachers, janitors, principals, secretary)
sports equipment, funding of the teams
security and school environment
technology (new computers, tablets,etc.)
Budget:
Total Budget Without Transportation 56,483,328
City's share for school employees:
Administration 767,937
Maintenance 2,740,402
Employee benefits 1,586,208
Health Insurance 7,990,386
Retired Employee Health 3,402,996
Total Costs paid by City on behalf of School 16,487,929
Charter School Tuition 8,656,935
Charter School Reimbursement (1,071,714)
2013 net school deficit carryover (2,818,565)
Total School Budget $ 77,737,913
FY14 Foundation Budget $ 80,424,387
dgetOver/Under NSS (2,686,474)
Budget Summary: Steps taken to balance the budget
Level fund operations and maintenance cost back to FY13
numbers.
Budget FY13 Original FY14 Cut
ELA $10,000 $52,000 $42,000
Soc. Stds $38,000 $ 204,00 $166,000
Sci $33,500 $77,700 $44,200
Math $45,000 $65,000 $20,000
Tech $300,000 $1,000,000
(Infrastructure
upgrades)
$300,000
Utilities $1,474,000 $1,750,000 $255,000
Misc. $11,395
H.457 BILL
Bill Actions - foundation budget will be reviewed (how it is calculated and making appropriate mission includes:
-house and senate chairs of the joint committee on education
-secretary of education
-commissioner of elementary and secondary education
-speaker of the house of representatives/a designee
-president of the senate/a designee
-minority leader of the house of representatives/a designee
-chair of the committee on ways and means/a designee
-chair of the senate committee on ways and means/a designee
-1 member to be appointed by each of the following organizations: the Massachusetts Municipal Association, the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Parent Teacher Association, Stand for Children, the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators and the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools recommendations for changes to it)
- necessary programs and services for meeting the state’s educational goals will be determined - “...review shall include, but not be limited to: class size; special education programs, including programs for English language learners; preschool programs for all 3 and 4 year-olds and full-day kindergarten; additional resources necessary to assure educational opportunity for low-income students; salaries necessary to attract and retain high quality professionals; extracurricular programs; remedial programs for students at risk of failing to satisfy graduation requirements; books and other curriculum materials; equipment for science lab programs; and technology” (Bill H.457, 188th).
Teacher Opinion -Thinks a review of it is long overdue. -Despite constant reviews of much we need the foundation budget in no way has been even attempted to be changed. -Is pleased with the fact a more in depth study will be done to find out how many resources are needed in each district.
Superintendent Deruosi's PowerPoint Presentation on the Budget:
Generation Citizen's Report on pertinent budget information for Malden:
Goal:
As a class, we want to update and expose the Chapter 70 Formula to the community around us. Our mission is to find leading community members to help us learn about school funding and how funding works.
Root Cause:
The Chapter 70 Formula is outdated.
What We're Doing:
- Looking into sponsors/outreach
- Finding out how money is being spent
- Who can help with our goal and then contact them
- Find out what has been happening at budget meetings
- Further research/ H.457 Bill/ What can we not do
Why:We want to help schools lacking in funds, improve their funding by federal aid and help cities all over the state with a modernized Chapter 70 Formula.
What is the Chapter 70 Formula?:
The Commonwealth 's primary program for distributing its portion of K-12 public education funding to the state 's 328 local and regional school districts.
The basic idea of Chapter 70 and its successors is simple:
STEPS TAKEN TO ACHIEVE OUR GOAL:
There are a few ways we could go about getting sponsors. One is the direct approach which would mean talking directly to the people in charge. Another way would be by emailing them:
"Sample Letter"
Use letterhead of school, program, or organization making the solicitation.)
(Name of contact person)
(Name of business or corporation)
(Street address)
(City, state, zip)
Dear (Name of representative of business or corporation):
As you probably know, schools throughout Oregon are struggling. Budget cuts have forced the end of important programs and, in some districts, even the loss of school days. Public schools cannot provide many of the things that helped us the most when we were children.
Our school has lost its ability to fund Oregon Career Information System (CIS), our state’s career information delivery system. CIS provides occupational and educational information to students who are making career decisions and education plans. CIS staff analyzes technical labor market data and educational statistics available from many sources and develops it into a computerized system of understandable, current, and localized career information.
Through CIS, students are able to explore and research occupations, industries, educational programs, Oregon and U.S. schools, and financial aid. They can learn about self-employment, military employment, the job search process, and apprenticeships. They can create and update their personal education plans and their education and work histories. The information and processes in CIS are of vital importance to the teens in our school. By helping prepare and train our students for their futures, we are supporting our community’s economic development.
Our school needs (needed $ amount) so we can continue to provide CIS information and services to our students. If you can help us, you will be recognized in several ways. (Edit these sentences for your specific recognition plans.) We will announce the gift with a press release. We will send a description of your gift to all of the _ families with children at (name of school). We will highlight your gift at our annual and very popular awards ceremony, and we could place (name of business)’s logo with a description of your generous gift in our annual student yearbook.
By sponsoring CIS in our school, (corporation or business name) will receive commendation and recognition for the service you provided. A recent study showed that approximately 67% of those surveyed agree that if price and quality are equal, they are likely to switch to a brand or retailer associated with a good cause. Eighty-three percent have a more positive image of a company that supports a cause they care about. There is little doubt that people in our community care about children and schools! Your sponsorship will help our students and our community by informing and inspiring students to acquire the skills that they will need for a competitive job market. It will also help (corporation or business name) by supporting our students as they strive to become your employees and business associates of the future.
Thank you in advance for your support,
(Signature, name, and title of administrator)
"Dear local business,
Hello, as High School students from Malden, we are working on a project called Generation Citizen, where we discuss issues regarding the city and community. Our goal as a class is to update and expose the Chapter 70 Formula which was designed to help every school district meet their foundation budget. In recent years, Foundation budgets are not meeting the needs of the schools as a result of the outdated Chapter 70 Formula. Jason Lewis, a current sponsor of the H.457 Bill is looking into how the foundation budget are being calculated and how they can be improved. As a group, we are responsible for finding possible sponsors for our project. We hope to find many sponsors ready to support us and help us achieve our goal. This is for the better of all Malden and all public schools, to ensure that every student can get what they need in order to keep moving forward and succeed as well as have many more opportunities in the future. Any contributions you make will be deeply appreciated."
Possible Sponsors:
All Season’s Table- (781)397-8788
Big A- (781) 321-9365
Fuloon Restaurant- (781) 388-3338
Tiki Island- (617) 982-2535 In Medford
Sun Kong - (781) 388-9900
Pisa Pizza- (781)397-7777
BJ’s- (781)396-0451
New York Pizza- (617) 266-7020
2 Paisan’s- (781) 322-5545
Dunkin Donuts (DD)- (781) 324-0186
Krav Maga- (781) 322-4600
CVS- (781) 322-5890
Walgreens- (781) 321-1765
Dockside- (781) 321-3000
Stop & Shop- (781) 397-0050
Papa Gino's- (781) 397-6738
Domino’s- (781) 322-0030
Sun Guang- (781) 388-9837
Honey Dew- (781) 397-8200
Ryan’s Family Amusement- (781) 324-7828
What To Do With Possible Sponsorship Money:
Budget:
Total Budget Without Transportation 56,483,328
City's share for school employees:
Administration 767,937
Maintenance 2,740,402
Employee benefits 1,586,208
Health Insurance 7,990,386
Retired Employee Health 3,402,996
Total Costs paid by City on behalf of School 16,487,929
Charter School Tuition 8,656,935
Charter School Reimbursement (1,071,714)
2013 net school deficit carryover (2,818,565)
Total School Budget $ 77,737,913
FY14 Foundation Budget $ 80,424,387
dgetOver/Under NSS (2,686,474)
Budget Summary: Steps taken to balance the budget
Level fund operations and maintenance cost back to FY13
numbers.
Budget FY13 Original FY14 Cut
ELA $10,000 $52,000 $42,000
Soc. Stds $38,000 $ 204,00 $166,000
Sci $33,500 $77,700 $44,200
Math $45,000 $65,000 $20,000
Tech $300,000 $1,000,000
(Infrastructure
upgrades)
$300,000
Utilities $1,474,000 $1,750,000 $255,000
Misc. $11,395
H.457 BILL
Bill Actions
- foundation budget will be reviewed (how it is calculated and making appropriate mission includes:
- -house and senate chairs of the joint committee on education
- -secretary of education
- -commissioner of elementary and secondary education
- -speaker of the house of representatives/a designee
- -president of the senate/a designee
- -minority leader of the house of representatives/a designee
- -chair of the committee on ways and means/a designee
- -chair of the senate committee on ways and means/a designee
- -1 member to be appointed by each of the following organizations: the Massachusetts Municipal Association, the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Parent Teacher Association, Stand for Children, the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators and the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools recommendations for changes to it)
- necessary programs and services for meeting the state’s educational goals will be determined- “...review shall include, but not be limited to: class size; special education programs, including programs for English language learners; preschool programs for all 3 and 4 year-olds and full-day kindergarten; additional resources necessary to assure educational opportunity for low-income students; salaries necessary to attract and retain high quality professionals; extracurricular programs; remedial programs for students at risk of failing to satisfy graduation requirements; books and other curriculum materials; equipment for science lab programs; and technology” (Bill H.457, 188th).
Teacher Opinion
-Thinks a review of it is long overdue.
-Despite constant reviews of much we need the foundation budget in no way has been even attempted to be changed.
-Is pleased with the fact a more in depth study will be done to find out how many resources are needed in each district.
Chapter 70 Affect on Malden:
BUDGET CRISIS
$2.5 MILL. IN DEBT.